Registration violation leads to $1 million drug bust on Kansas interstate, sheriff says

An Indiana woman is in a Kansas jail after a sheriff’s deputy found $1 million worth of illegal drugs after a traffic stop.

The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that a deputy pulled over a 2008 Volvo on Wednesday because of a registration violation. The traffic stop was on I-70 near Valencia Road, or about 5 miles west of Topeka city limits.

The deputy found 9 kilograms of cocaine and 1 kilogram of black tar heroin during the stop, the sheriff’s office said. The estimated street value of the drugs is $1 million.

Maria Louisa Gallegos-Martinez, 41, of Indianapolis, was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of heroin with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia. She remains in jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

This story was originally published July 1, 2019 at 2:19 PM.